The change of guard on the the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) board will continue in the coming weeks as Paddy Dempsey is set to replace John Earley as the schoolboys' sector delegate.

‘I’m probably the wrong man to ask, I like a little dive myself.”

Forty-five years after making my Ireland debut, 55 years after watching my country play for the first time, I’m struggling to think of a week when we produced back-to-back performances as poor as these.

Wow, this Aaron Connolly kid looks pretty good, are we sure he’s not English? Like, really sure?

In a spirit of, as he put it,“nothing ventured, nothing gained”, Mick McCarthy has made the left-field decision to play Conor Hourihane atleft-back against Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium tonight.

Aaron Connolly’s directness hasn’t always endeared him to coaches but being able to back it up with a Premier League debut affords the Brighton and Hove Albion winger some latitude.

Relations between the FAI and Brian Kerr have been strained further after the former Ireland manager angrily rejected an offer to become a “media watchdog” for the association.

They were known as the superb six, a cohort ready-made to complement Ireland’s golden generation of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, but the tribulations of those bright young things should temper the hype attaching to the latest sextet.

Mick McCarthy will favour a ‘play to play’ policy when it comes to choosing his team for the resumption of the European Championship campaign in September when Switzerland come to town..

Cork City have been warned by Pat Devlin that they’ll face a tough task to rescue their season with a FAI Cup run.

Tom Elmes saw Robbie Keane sprinting across the pitch towards him, iPad in hand, and his first instinct was fear. “I thought something was wrong,” he recalls with a laugh.

Superstar Rod Stewart paid a warm tribute to the late footballer Liam Miller, at his concert in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork last night, posting a picture of the former Republic of Ireland, Manchester United and Celtic player on the big screen of his stage.

The infamous FAI hearing at the sport and transport committee of April 2019, since known as the Morning of the Long Pause, marked a turning point in the fortunes of many of the participants, though no-one realised that at the time.

It’s a real game of two halves for Irish football just now.

"It's the only time a tennis ball has ever made me angry."

Damien Duff and Ronnie Whelan may have found fault with the tennis balls served up in protest against John Delaney at the Aviva Stadium, but Mick McCarthy could see the funny side after a performance and result that sets Ireland up nicely in Group D.

Jon Walters has announced his retirement this afternoon.

Reid is currently undertaking his UEFA Pro Licence alongside the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, and Jim McGuinness.

Ireland's all-time leading goal scorer will captain his country once more in a Sean Cox fundraiser.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Former Ireland star Damien Duff is on his way to Celtic next month to take up his first full-time coaching post.

Damien Duff has hit out at the "dinosaur mentality" which sees him criticised for training his Shamrock Rovers U15 side five times a week.

Damien Duff has criticised the FAI's "crazy" decision to appoint Stephen Kenny in advance as Mick McCarthy's successor.

Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane have parted company with the FAI by mutual agreement.

The FAI have not yet identified a successor to Noel King as Ireland U21 manager but former internationals Lee Carsley, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff are among those being linked with either the main job or assistant roles in a new management set-up.

Martin O’Neill has accused Alan Shearer of not doing his homework before singling out Cyrus Christie for criticism on MOTD2.

‘Down the park’ was for the hoi polloi, but City Hall was more bourgeois — the second leg of the Liam Miller Tribute event was an evening of glamour for the better known businessmen and professionals of Cork, where black tie was the order of the night.

Shamrock Rovers will receive a League of Ireland record fee if goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu plays for Manchester City’s first team or the senior international team.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh GAA stadium in Cork will have a full house of 45,000 for the Liam Miller benefit soccer match on September 25. The fixture is now sold out.

There will be a full house of 45,000 people in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on September 25.

He wasn’t slow to tell them what was what when Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were in their pomp and boasted a midfield four of Beckham, Scholes, Keane and Giggs.

Very few of us paid attention when Greg Cunningham’s transfer from Preston to Cardiff City went through in June.

"It's a lose-lose for them now and it serves them right."

Your morning headlines ...

Yet again the talk surrounding England as they approach a major tournament is marooned somewhere between hope and hype but Damien Duff has questioned whether Gareth Southgate’s players have the commitment required to make a mark at the World Cup.